I Follow Thee
by CappuccettoRosso
Summary: Guarding a teenager was harder than it sounded, especially when everyone was out to get him. But it's okay: their loyalty is unquestionable and their courage unshakable. They are Tanunihara-kumi's Second Generation and they are not afraid...!


**I Follow Thee**

_CappuccettoRosso_

**Beta:** None

**Fandom:** Gokusen

**Rating:** PG-13

**Warning(s)**: Mild Adult Language; Non-Graphic Depiction of Violence; Gang Themes; Original Characters (OCs)

**Genre(s)**: General; Humor

**Disclaimer:** Gokusen is the intellectual property of Kozueko Morimoto, and its publisher, Shueisha. I am only borrowing the characters without prior authorization for my own amusement. No profit is being made in the publishing of this story.

**Author's Note**: I'm rather late in putting this up here. Sorry about that. This story was written for the dove_drabbles' October prompt: "indulge in dark." It is actually the first in a series of stories I'm considering writing which are mostly outsiders POV and their opinion of, and subsequent interaction with, Sawada Shin. A large part of my inspiration came from _Vol_. _7_, Ch. 9 A Straightforward Confession which has the guys from the Tanukihara-kumi, more or less, pledging themselves to Shin. I found their awe and amazement, however rooted in gossip and rumor, funny and worth exploring. So this is the product of that inspiration. I don't know if I'll update on a regular basis, but I will most certainly add more stories to this. With that said, please expect a lot of original characters. I'll try to add cannon characters, but I won't make any promises.

_Summary: Guarding a teenager was harder than it sounded, especially when everyone was out to get him. But it's okay: their loyalty is unquestionable and their courage unshakeable. They are Tanukihara-kumi's Second Generation and they are not afraid...!_

* * *

"I lost them," Hiroyuki snarled into the phone. "Do you have them in sight?"

His breath came in quick, sharp pants. His legs pumped, muscles pulled and burned under the strain. The rush in his ears nearly drowning out the response from the other end.

"_No!" _The shrill quality of the tinny voice lanced through him, while the single word wrapped itself like barbed wire around his heart. Hiroyuki growled wordlessly and forced himself to run faster. The sheer need to get there now propelled him further, forced him to use every bit of energy, and then some. He couldn't stop; wouldn't if given the choice. Stopping meant letting his brothers down, letting the Young Master down.

He would die rather than let the Young Master down.

"Mother~!" Hiroyuki swore loudly. He shot down a narrow alleyway, the pounding of his feet on the hard asphalt sounding thunderous in the enclosed space. He weaved around trash cans and empty boxes; nearly slipping on food left to rot on the dirty ground. He snarled at himself as he regained his footing. He pushed himself off the grimy wall with his free hand, cursing under his breath as he exploded out of the alleyway, onto the main street.

It was 23: 00 and the night had engulfed the city entirely. Few people were out on the streets, mostly drunks and soul-weary people too distracted with their own troubles to pay attention to the man running like demons were snapping at his heels.

"_Aniki! I...I see them...!"_

He stopped suddenly at a crossroads and looked around quickly. "Where are you!"

"_We're heading them off by the Health Spa. Mamoru and Kichiro are with me."_

Hiroyuki took a deep breath, though the air seemed to burn. He smiled fiendishly up at the full moon. "Good, you keep them there, Isao-_kun_. One of them owes me his blood."

"_Yes, aniki!"_

He closed the phone with a snap and shoved it into a pocket. He set off again into the darken streets. His body protested. A stitch at his side made him grunt. He ignored the slight pain and focus on falling into a rhythm. The urgency in his gut had lessened, but it was still there, churning and fueling the desire to spill his enemy's blood.

He caught sight of his brothers from a distance. The familiar sight of them gave him a burst of adrenaline. Hiroyuki gradually slowed down as he drew close, his eyes surveying the scene. His brothers gazed at him with grim satisfaction, though they were far from relaxed. They shifted restlessly, their eyes peering into the darkness around them as if looking for more prey. The enemy, the ones Hiroyuki had hunted across Tokyo for better part of two hours, laid unconscious at their feet.

It was the third time this week. They were getting bolder now. Usually they caught stragglers; one or two thugs sniffing around the area, looking for trouble and a chance to get at what more powerful groups wouldn't dare touch. They were getting more organized, moving in larger groups, their attacks carefully planned out. This particular bunch had almost slipped through. Certainly, they had gotten further than any of the others, almost making it to the Young Master.

He wished he could hurt them, punch them for their arrogance. He settled with a vicious glare, one which never failed to freeze an enemy in their tracks. It was a look he'd learned from Ooshima-_san_, the greatest man of them all.

"_Aniki_..."

Hiroyuki looked up and Isao managed not to flinch. "There were more of them."

"What...?"

"There were four others," Mamoru said, his voice stilted and vibrating with frustration. He ran a hand through his short cropped hair, the blood on his knuckles shinning wetly in the streetlight. "Came out of fucking nowhere and then ran after..." Mamoru stared down the street toward...

Hiroyuki hissed, the angry sound making them step back in reflex. "Then why the fuck are we just standing around here? Why aren't you guys running after them?" He was already in motion, moving away from his brothers and the seven unconscious men on the ground. "The Young Master..."

"Is more than capable of handling it."

Hiroyuki turned and glared at Masaki, who was half hidden in shadows. Hiroyuki bit the inside of his cheek to keep from cursing the other man. Masaki cracked his neck and rubbed the blood on his upper lip with his thumb.

"But Ooshima-_san_ said..."

"Come with me, Hiroyuki-_san_," Masaki said, looking at him through hooded eyes. "The rest of you, pack these guys up. Ooshima-_san_ would like a word with them." He disappeared into the darkness and Hiroyuki followed after a moment's hesitation. They moved silently between two condemned buildings. A fat rat scampered past their feet, hissing at them as they passed. Hiroyuki resisted the urge to reach for his gun and kill it. He was about to demand an explanation from Masaki, when from up ahead, he heard the unmistakeable sounds of fighting. Hiroyuki was instantly on alert.

"Masaki-_san_..."

"Come and watch our Young Master, Hiroyuki-_kun_." Masaki said. The alleyway suddenly opened to a back lot. The cement was cracked from years of neglect and nature's seasonal bombardment. Grass had begun to push through the fissures, further loosening the concrete. The chain linked fence that encircled it was rusted through and hung limply under its own weight. The flood light that had once illuminated it was broken, it's bulbs shattered. There was only the darkness of the night, washed through with silvery moonlight; and in those shadows, the Young Master fought.

Four men surrounded the Young Master. They attacked him at once, attempting to use their greater numbers to their advantage. Yet for all they were trying to overpower him, the Young Master kept them in check. Hiroyuki knew that the Young Master wasn't fully trained; was, in fact, just starting his official training with Ooshima-san. Despite that, the Young Master moved with a surprising amount of grace for someone so young. Hiroyuki watched as he used their own strength against them, forced them to expend their energy while using very little of his own.

A more experience fighter would have kept his distance; or at the very least, restrained themselves from using too much energy too soon. These weren't experience fighters, though. They were four overconfident barely trained curs that thought to make a name for themselves by coming after someone so obviously superior, that the idea that these low lives could best him was an insult to the Young Master. It made Hiroyuki grit his teeth and clench his fists.

Oh, how much he wanted to step in and rip their throats out. In his opinion, the Young Master needn't lower himself to taking care of such scum. He stayed were he was, though; because it would be a greater insult to the Young Master if Hiroyuki were to take over when he was obviously in control of the situation.

As Hiroyuki continued to watch, he noticed that their attacks were slowly losing their edge. Their movements became sloppier as they grew tried and their impatience got the best of their tempers. It was a weakness to exploit, one which the Young Master immediately pounced on

Hiroyuki saw the moment the Young Master went on the defensive. His entire demeanor changed from passive to such predatory look—something roar within Hiroyuki. The Young Master was done stalking his prey, now that it was angry, weak and confused; fear stuttering their movements.

He went for the jugular.

Hiroyuki gasped, his blood rushing with adrenaline and so much potential. He felt slightly lightheaded.

"You do the Young Master a disservice, Hiroyuki-kun, in thinking he is weak," Masaki murmured, his voice was deep and impenetrable, blending with the night. His words glided smoothly through the air, hardly disturbing the stillness that had fallen around them. In the courtyard, no one moved, not even the shadows. "Do no do it again."

Hiroyuki nodded, shame weighing heavily on his tongue.

The tension in the air reached its peak and then vanished gently with the soft midnight breeze. Before them, the Young Master shook himself, his red mane fluttering around his calm face. He gazed down at his attackers, and even from a distance, Hiroyuki saw the flashed of teeth as the Young Master smiled.

From the shadows, Hiroyuki smiled triumphantly along with him.


End file.
